Electrical time switch



Aug. 2, 1932. J sM|TH 1,870,028

ELECTRICAL TIME SWITCH Filed Oct. 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l l N VEN TOR.

Aug. 2, 1932. J A, SWTH 1,870,028

ELECTRICAL'TIME SWITCH Filed Oct. 6. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR.

Patented Aug. 2, 1932 UNITED STAT J AMORY SMITH, OE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA ELE TR CAL I E SWITCH Appli a on fi O to 928- This invention relates to improvements in switches associated with alarm clocks and the like and consists in providing, in conjunction with the time piece two dials having the hour numerals inscribed thereon with rotary pointers, the arrangement being such that when one pointer is brought opposite one numeral of one dial the time for closing an electrical circuit, is pre-set, and when the other pointer has been placed opposite to the right numeral the time when the same circuit will be automatically opened will be preset.

With the above and further objects in View my invention consists in the combination, arrangement and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts thruout the respective views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a timepiece frame showing my preferred type of invention therein,

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof,

Figure 3 is a detail View showing the trip hammer and associated parts,

Figure 4 is a vertical elevation of my in vcntion, V

Figure 5 is a plan View of one frame wall of a timepiece showing a switch located there? upon,

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a novel switch device,

Figure 7 is a fragmental view of Figure 6 showing the switch moved in one position,

Figure 8 is a fragmental detail view of the switch before moved to qualified position,

Figure 9 is a view like Figure 8 but showing the switch actuator moved to another position,

Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the clock train parts associated with my switch,

Figure 11 is a side view of the parts of Figure 10,

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the switch arbor and associated parts,

Figure 13 is a side view of the trip ham.- mer and associated part,

Figure 14; is a top plan view of the time- Serial No, 310,985,

piece frame showing the switch operating parts,

Figure 15 is a side view in detail of the trip hammer shaft and associated escapement,

Figure 16 is a front elevation of a dial for a timepiece,

Figure 17 is a side view of the switch winding shaft,

Figure 18 is an end View of the switch sup port. Referring to the drawings which are mere- 1y illustrative of my invention 10 and 11 designate parallel walls of the frame of a clock. There is an opening or cutaway portion A in wall 10. P designates the spacer posts connecting frame walls 10 and '11, c designates the time main wheel, on the same shaft with the center wheel. C designates the main alarm clock spring, 62 designates the turning a handle of a movable arbor to be described.

A gear 17'is loose on a shaft 25 and carries a camsleeve 54 associated for shiftable movement with a cam disk 56 fast on shaft 25;

this cam sleeve has a beveled notch or edge 99.

The detent 57 of the disk 56 is constrained to contact laterally with the beveled notch 99 under influence of a spring arm 81 extending along the wall 10, the natural resiliency and tendency of which spring arm being to 1" bear upon, so as to press the loose gear 17 outwardly against the disk 56 with its detent 57 keeping the detent always in operative contact with the beveled notch 99. The dial hand 174 is fixed upon the shaft 25, so in turning the hand 174 in a cycle of selective movement on the dial 181, shaft 25 is turned and detent 57 caused to ride over and around the edge of the sleeve 54 until it engages the beveled notch 99, and under influence of the arm spring 31 this detent is free to gradually click into the notch until it continues its 'ro tation and rides out of notch 99 as hereinafter set forth. The spring arm 31 is associated with the sleeve 54 and disk 56, and detent 57, and forms the basis and foundation ofmy invention.

The dial hand 17 i is circularly movable upon a small dial represented at 176 on the H Inain dial 181 of my timepiece which latter is of standard construction save that it is provided, with two linerally aligning dials 176 and 177. The numbers 1 to 12 seriatim are printed in dial 178 as at 178 and in dial 177 as at 179. The operator takes hold of hand 174 on the circuit-off shaft 25 and turns same around, causing the pointer of hand 174: to predesignate predeterminedly and selectively the particular hour and minute of dial 176 when it is desired to effect the subsequent automatic opening of an electrical circuit as described.

Similarly, it is desirable to preset the time of automatic closing of the same electrical circult and for this occasion the operator will move hand 175 on dial 177 to indicate by the proper numeral 179 the exact hour and minute when the circuit is to be automatically closed. The hand 175 is fixed upon the shaft 22 constructed similarly as the shaft 25, the cam sleeve being connected to gear 21, both the sleeve and the gear 21 being loose upon shaft 22. 56 designates the disk which is fast upon shaft 22 and which carries detent 57. The cam sleeve 56 has the usual beveled notch already set forth, being designated 99, and its gear 21 meshes with an idler pinion 20 car rying a well known gear 27 part of the clock train which idler gear 27 receives motion by meshing with another and central pinion 27 which in turn carries gear 19 that meshes with an idler gear 18 also carrying a gear 26, part of the clock train.

The idler gear 18 also carries a gear 26, already described, the idler pinion receiving this motion from meshing with the gear 17 first described. Associated in use with the gear 21 is a spring arm 28 extending at an angle with respect to the spring arm which spring arm 28 also presses gear 21 and its cam sleeve 56 to cause detent 57 to engage the edge of cam sleeve 22 and 25 respectively.

The on and off shafts 22 and 25 respectively both carry the operating handles 59 by means of which the dialing hands 174, 17! may be preset. At the free end of spring .arm 31 is formed a ball or stub 43 and at the free outer end of the spring arm 28 is formed a gear 33 designed to directly engage so as to arrest movement of the rightangular offset 51 of the trip hammer 49, which trip hammer 49 has its inner end 50 fixedly secured upon the hammer shaft or arbor 17 in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art.

Fixedly mounted upon the hammer shaft 47 is the escapement lever having the spur ends 45 and 16 for interengagement alternatively with the escapement wheel 35 mounted upon an arbor 4:004 operatively connected to the clock train frame. Also fixedly mounted upon the shaft 47 is another and supplemental hammer designated 38 whose free outer end is formed with an offset 38a terminating in a finger 38?) disposed at right angles to the hammer 38 and designed when properly actuated to control the spring arm 31.

On the switch operating winding shaft 61 is mounted in the frame walls 10 and 11 the winding handle and also a shield 36. This shield is designed to sweep in the path of movement of the spur 33 formed upon the spring arm 28 to prevent said spur from engaging the trip hammer end 51 at the proper tnne.

In operation after the dial hands 174:, 175 shall have been moved or set to determine the time of closing (1 opening the electrical circuit the operation of controlling the switch becomes automatic. Any desirable type of switch may be employed in conjunction with this invention but the switch now to be described will be preferred. The hour hand 180 is mounted upon the hour hand main shaft 40?). Onv the disk regulator 71, fixed upon shaft 61, is an eccentrically mounted pin 72 which projects into the cross shaped slot now to be described. A diamond shaped member 7 a is cut away to provide the preferably arcuate shaped slots 75, 76 one arranged at an angle to the other and intersecting. The integral arm 7 41 of member 74 is formed at its lower end with oppositely extending lateral fingers 78, 79 and with a central forwardly projecting socket ball 80 projecting operatively in an open sleeve 81 carrying a rocker St on which is mounted a contact 85 of desirable form.

The arm 74 of member 7a is operatively connected so th it in effect the swinging of the sleeve 81 either to position with the contact 85 released from the edge of the mating contact member 87 in the plate 86, or caused to be moved into engagement therewith to close the circuit. Plate 86 is formed with the integral arm 82 cooperating with the switch notch 87, this plate being insulatedly secured by the fastener 88 to the switch frame 77, in whose cut away portion sleeve 81 moves and works. A spring 83 is coiled around the sleeve 81 and bears at one end upon an anchor plate designated 89 which engages the inserted ball 80 of the switch actuator member 74 and at its opposite end this coiled spring bears frictionally against the rocker 84. This spring opposes the movement of the sleeve 81 in either'circuit making or circuit breaking position and is tensioned as said sleeve moves in either direction.

The actuator member 7 l functions when the switch handle N is turned. It shifts the posit-ion of the contact 84 progressively and gradually. ln off position the pin 72 is constrained to move in unison with the disk 71 rotating on its axis 61, which is rotated at the proper predetermined time by the releasing of the escape winding wheel 35 when the trip hammer l9 does not arrest the moveell-6 ment of the escapement lever having the clicks or terminals 45, 46in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art, as the disk 71 starts to turn, when the escape wheel is released the shaft 61 is turned sufficiently to change the relation of the wing of shield 36 with respect to the spring arms, the pin 72 is in slot upper end and as disk 71 moves around counter clockwise direction the pin 72 drives member 75 by wiping edge of slot 75 until the parts are as shown in Figure 6; as the disk continues to move the parts assume the position shown iii-Figure 6 and now the contact abuts the contact 87, the circuit is instantly closed and the movement of switch shaft 61 ceases.

I will now explain the interval of rest for the switch just described when the escape wheel 35 is temporarily rendered inactive so the spring C cannot turn the shaft. When this spring does turn the shaft 61 the interval of turning is properly timed. I

In Figure 10 the parts are set to go on i. e. to close the electrical circuit. It will be seen from this figure and also from Figure 14 showing corresponding parts that when the circuit has been closed and remains closed then the spur 33 of the spring arm 28 engages the trip hammer 49, thereby holding the escape lever from operating movably in connection with winding escape. wheel 35; this is the interval of rest for the switch in circuit closing position. The spur or ball 43 of spring arm 31 is held away from contact with the long hammer arm 386 by the shield 36 which intercepts this spring arm. Now when the hammer 49 is held by one spring arm the long hammer need not be held, for in holding the long arm the same useful result is accomplished as holding the short hammer 49. As the switch is thus held at rest and the clock train continues to rotate the gears 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 also rotate and therefore the gears 17 and 21 rotate slowly and in doing so the beveled notches on the cam sleeves rotate and in doing so change the position of the beveled edge with respect to the detents 57. These detents have been set by the handle 174, 175 at variable distances apart around the circle or periphery of the cam sleeves, so one detent of either gear 17 or 21 will be free under influence of the lateral spring pressure exerted by the spring arm in question, to enter the beveled notch an d snap thereinto sooner than the other and when this actually occurs the condition of the electrical circuit will. again be changed by the switch. The detent 57 has been in the beveled notch of the cam wheel 56 on gear 21 at the time the circuit was closed for then the detent clicked into said notch laterally flexing the spring arm 28 sufficiently to place the spur 33 into engagement with the hammer 49, as at this time the shield 36 has cleared this spur 33, allowing thespur to engagethis hammen.

The shield would otherwise have held this spur' from lateral movement as there is a synchronizing interaction between the time the detent enters the bevelednoteh of either cam sleeve on gear 17' and 21, and the time the shield 36 clears the path of lateral pressure-or movement of the spur 33 of spring 7 arm 28. I I keeps moving, the detent 57 in sleeve 56 which has just entered the beveled notch of this cam sleeve begins gradually to move out of this cam sleeve and the cam bevel of the cam sleeve makes the detent move laterally away from the shield 36. In the meantime the other detent 57 associated with the cam sleeve 54 of the gear" 17 is about tomove into the beveled notch of this cam sleeve and when this takes place automatically the switch will be moved to disrupt or to open the circuit as follows. When this detent snaps into the beveled notch 99 of sleeve 54 the gear 17 has Therefore, when the clock train been pushed inwardly and has flexed the spring arm-51 and now the shield has come into posltion to stop spur 33 of sprlng arm 28 so thls spur is released from hammer 49.

As the detent snaps in the spur 33 of spring the switch but a short time as the long hammer'will soon engage in back of the spur 43 of spring arm 31, and will thus be held,

again arresting the movement of the escape lever and againsetting the switch at rest but this time in circuit opening position. The clock train next continues to rotate until the circuit is closed and opened again in exactly the manner already described.

I I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appended claims:

1. In a standard time-piece, in combination awinding shaft, an escapement wheel operated by said shaft, a switch, operated by said winding shaft, an oscillating pallet oscillated by said escapement wheel, a pair of trip hammers for controlling the unwinding of said shaft, separate means engageable with said hammers alternately to lock said pallet to stop the escapement wheel, means for alternately contacting either of said separate means to free one of them and to hold the other, and means for selectively and predeterminately arranging the intervals of contacting between the alternative separate means and the said alternative means.

2. In a standard clock train the combination of escapement-controlled switch-operating mechanism, a spring winding shaft controlled by the escapement controlled mechanism, an escapement controlling device, a circuit closing conditioner for controlling said controlling device, a circuit opening conditioner for controlling said controlling device, means controlled by said winding shaft for causing both conditioners to act in time, and separate indicating means for presetting the intervals of functioning of each conditioner.

3. A device as described consisting of a gear train, an escapement wheel operated by said gear train, a switch mechanism means operated by said escapement wheel or controlling said switch mechanism in circuit closing and opening functions, means controlling said escapement wheel for holding it idle during the periods of closed and open circuit respectively, a circuit closing conditioner for controlling said escapement controlling means, a circuit-opening condition for controlling said escapement controlling means, means controlled by said first means for causing both conditioners to act in time, and separate movable selective means for timing the intervals of engagement of the conditioners with said escapement control ling means.

4. A device of the kind described consisting of a gear train, an escapement wheel operated thereby, a switch mechanism controlled in open and closed position by said escapement wheel, a palate, a circuit closing conditioner, a circuit-opening conditioner, means on either conditoner for actuating said escapement controlling means, means acting in time with said escapement wheel for causing both conditioners to act in time, and indicating means for predeterminately and select vely setting said conditioners.

5. In a clock train, in combination, an escapement wheel, a switch mechanism, means controlled by said escapement wheel to actuate said switch mechanism in circuit closing or opening position, a pa r of trip hammers for alternately controlling the movement of said escapement wheel, a circuit-closing conditioner for engaging one trip hammer to operate it to stop said wheel, a circuit opening cond'tioner for engaging the other trip hammer to operate it to stop said wheel, means moving uniformly with said wheel for causing both conditioners to act in time alternately, and manually operated selective means for presetting the intervals of alternate operation of said cond tioners.

6. In a clock train, in combination, a shiftable switch member, contacts engageable by said switch, a switch shifter for the switch on or off contact, a spring winding shaft for operating said shifter, an escapement wheel for allowing said winding shaft to function, means for stopping said wheel during changed circuit condition, a circuit closing and separate circuit opening timer each havingprovision for actuating said stopping means, and means moving with said winding shaft and engageable by said timers for causing sa' d timers to actuate said stopping means alternately.

7. In a device as described, a gear train, a pair of fixed collars having each notch and a peripheral cam edge leading to said notch, two gears arranged in spaced relation on said clock train and each carrying a detent rubbing yieldably against the cam edge of either collar to ultimately enter said notch, a pair of spring arms each having one end fixed and its stem shiftable laterally and flexibly under influence of one detent riding the cam edge of one collar, an electric switch, means controlled periodically by end gear train for controlling said switch in circuit closing or opening position, mechanism for holding said means inactive during circuit changed condition, and manually selective means for moving each detent separately to time the intervals of operation of each spring arm, each spring arm iaving provision for separately engaging said mechan sm for rendering same active as it is shifted.

8. In a device described, a gear train, an escapement wheel, operated thereby, a switch, a switch shifter movable to on or off positions, means operated by said wheel for controlling sa d switch shifter, a pair of trip hammers having provision for arresting the motion of said wheel to hold switch in circuit changed position, a pair of oppositely arranged laterally shiftable sprin s each des gned when shifted to engage wit 1 one hammer to alternately arrest the same, manually selective means for presetting the shiftable springs to time the intervals of their operation and a shield moving in unison with said wheel operating means and intercepting said shiftable means alternately to prevent'their engagement with said hammers.

9. In a device described in combination a gear train, an escapement wheel operated thereby, a spring wir ing shaft controlled by said wheel, a switch operated by said winding shaft, a pair of relatively long and short trip hammers for arrestin motion of said wheel during circuit changed condition, a pair of spring arms fixed at one end and having provision for terminally engaging the long and short hammers alternately to control it in wheel arresting function, a shield rotating with said winding shaftand intercepting either spring arm from engaging one hammer, said shield moving to ultimately free the last-named spring arm and to intercept the spring arm until the shield moves to intercept one arm, means controlled by said dial means for automatically shifting either spring arm to press it against a hammer, and means engageable with each separate dial means for causing them to act in tlme.

10. In a device as described, a gear train having a dial with hour and minute hands, a pair of oppositely arranged calibrated dials having shafts carrying selectively movable pointers, each pointer predetermining the time for opening and closing an electrical circuit, movable cams operated by said clock train, detents movably operated by said pointer shafts and having notches and riding against said cams to gradually snap into the separate notches thereof, a pair of spring arms each being urged under fiexure by one detent as it snaps into a cam notch to move laterally, means controlled by one spring arm as it moves laterally, a switch, means controlled by one spring arm as it moves laterally to move said switch to circuit opening position, and means controlled by the other arm as it moves laterally, to move said switch to circuit-closing position.

11. In a device as described, in combination, a switch, a shifter moving said switch to on or off position, a gear train, a gear operated by said gear train, a second gear driven in time with and by said first gear, a pair of feelers operated by the separate gears, mechanism operated by said gear train for controlling said shifter, means for holding said mechanism inactive during circuit changed condition, each of said feelers having provision for alternately engaging the holding means to actuate it, means moving with said mechanism and engageable alternately with said feelers to intercept either feeler whilst freeing the other feeler, and manually-controlled means to selectively but separately preset said feelers to time their intervals of inactivity.

12. In a clock, in combination with a standard gear train including an escapement wheel, a spring shaft operated by the wheel, a pointer operated time-set circuit-closing conditioner, a gear of the train operating said conditioner, a switch operated by the spring shaft, a device for arresting the wheel during circuit changed condition, a second pointer operated time-set circuit opening conditioner, a gear operating said second conditioner, transmission means associated with both gears to separate their intervals of operating each conditioner including a feeler for engaging the arresting device to actuate it, and means controlled by the spring of the winding shaft for arresting the feelers alternately so each acts at one time.

p In witness whereof he has hereunto set his hand this ninth day of August, 1928.

J AMORY SMITH. 

